DENOUNCING DETENTION OF FELLOW BLOGGERS IN JFK

The purpose of this post is to denounce the detention of fellow bloggers and team members Ahmed Naje and Ahmed Al Deriny in JFK airport. It really is a big shame that the 8 of us, who came to be known in certain circles as "The 8 Bloggers" have come here to America to blog about American Democracy and be faced with this type of harsh reality. This project is funded by the USAID with the purpose of adding a few building blocks to the bridge across the cultural and political gaps between Americans and the rest of the world. For one branch of the US government to shamelessly cancel out the efforts of the branches trying to improve America's image in international eyes in the name of security , in my humble opinion, does not make America safe... not for Americans and not for Arabs.

Doesn't the Department of Homeland Security know that any terrorist planning any attack will not distinguish any differences between the victims, not racial, religious, or national differences.... and if that's the case... doesn't that make us potential victims too?

By the way, I was again selected for additional screening (when airport security check you for explosives) in Chicago, so was Mahmoud Saber... tell me again that's not profiling.

KAFFARA YA WLAD!

3ASHET MASR 7ORRA!

Codename: Khalidi

If one is following the US presidential election closely- and one should, ye lazy bums- one could get all kinds of interesting information on the candidates from the campaign spokespeople of their contenders. For example, if you listened to the Obama campaign, then you would know that McCain is the product of a rather successful genetic experiment to clone an older, grumpier and more senile version of George W. Bush that is determined to nuke every country on the planet and serve your firstborn cooked a la king to the eating pleasure of CEO’s of Oil companies . On the other hand, if you listen to the McCain campaign, you would be surprised to find out that Barack Obama is an Islamist Theocrat, a socialist nationalist and a Marxist communist, all at the same time. Obama, it seems, has many faces, and all of them hate America.

The most recent McCain campaign meme, however, is focused on a fourth Obama: an Zionist-hating, Palestinian-loving, Kuffeyah-wearing, Israel-is-committing-genocide-against-the-Palestinian-people fifth columnist. Their proof? Well, he apparently has past associations with a Palestinian-American scholar , Rashid Khalidi , the director of the Middle East Institute of Columbia's School of International and Public affairs. What is the big deal about that? Well, he apparently does not like Israel very much, to such degree that he is rumored to have been an un-official advisor to the PLO during the Madrid Peace talks. Now, while I am shocked..shocked I tell ya..that a pleastinian-american scholar might not hold a favorable view of Israel and the Israeli occupation, I am almost speechless that a man who may have adviced the PLO- which the US government negotiates with- during peace talks is allowed to live in America today, let alone poison the minds of the airheaded susceptible C students they let into Columbia. For Shame.

But wait, the McCain campaign says: There is more. There is apparently a videotape, which they haven’t seen and that the LA Times has and refuses to release, of a party honoring Khalidi where Obama speaks, and during which Obama is rumored to have said bad things about Israel. Now, if you ask the McCain campaign how they know what’s on the tape even though they never saw it, they will respond to you that this is not really the issue, and that the real issue is that the LA Times won’t release the tape, and that is because the LA Times wants Obama to be President and knows how damaging this tape really is. The LA Times counters that they can’t release the tape because it belongs to a source for a story they did, whom they promised never to publically release. So, dear reader, being the diligent blogger that I am, I searched for the story and found it, hoping to find the clues that the McCain campaign followed to infer the existence of such a conspiracy, specifically paragraphs on what exactly Obama had said at that event. Here is what I found:

A special tribute came from Khalidi's friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi's wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking.

His many talks with the Khalidis, Obama said, had been "consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases. . . . It's for that reason that I'm hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation -- a conversation that is necessary not just around Mona and Rashid's dinner table," but around "this entire world."

Ok… there must be something else…oh yes, here we go

At Khalidi's 2003 farewell party, for example, a young Palestinian American recited a poem accusing the Israeli government of terrorism in its treatment of Palestinians and sharply criticizing U.S. support of Israel. If Palestinians cannot secure their own land, she said, "then you will never see a day of peace."

One speaker likened "Zionist settlers on the West Bank" to Osama bin Laden, saying both had been "blinded by ideology."

Obama adopted a different tone in his comments and called for finding common ground. But his presence at such events, as he worked to build a political base in Chicago, has led some Palestinian leaders to believe that he might deal differently with the Middle East than either of his opponents for the White House.

Ok, so Obama said that conversations are good and that common ground is better, which is clearly….un-American? I don’t know anymore, man. This election is confusing me. My guess is that they know Obama didn’t say anything personally incriminating at the event, but that the other speakers-as the quote shows- did, so they would like to create a hoopla on how “he was there” when bad things were said about Israel and didn’t do something, unlike John McCain which would’ve pulled out his Hauser and killed them all in the name of Israel’s honor, or something.

So yes, this is the news currently in the US: a focus on how guilt by association is an integral aspect of the decision making process come election day, and that if one really wants to run for political office, one shouldn’t have friends from different political and ideological backgrounds and stick to people who think and act just like him. As for me, I am awaiting the Palestinian resistance name the McCain campaign will give Obama next. Abu Hussein, anyone?

Going Rogue

I just couldn't resist...



Say it with me: ROOOOOOOOOGUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday's satire..today's reality

This is from 1999. Amazing, ehh?

He will never again know the love of a black woman..

This man is not gonna get laid by a sistah for a very very very long time. That's just my guess.

First there was Joe the Plumber

....but he became too famous for his own good, with a book, a rumored record deal and a publicity team. So now, ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you the new Joe the Plumber: Tito the Builder.



I heart Fox News!

ملفك الأحمر لدي شرطة نيويورك

استعان بي ضابط الجوازات ذي الملامح نصف الشرسة_بمطار حون كينيدي بنيويورك_ في الترجمة بينه وبين رجل سوري لا يجيد الانجليزية،استبشرت خيرا،فكما يبدو أنه يثق بي جدا_الضابط لا السوري_ ومطمئن لصحة أوراقي،فقد فهم من محمود أننا سويا وهذا يكفي كما أعتقد.. إلي أنهي كلامه مع السوري واضعا أوراقه في ملف أحمر مقررا أن يصطحبه إلي مكان ما.طمأنت السوري وقلت له بلهجة الواثق المطئمن العليم ببواطن الامور :لا تقلق،هذا لا يعني اي شيء سيء علي الاطلاق..سينتهي ورقك بعد قليل.

جاء الضابط بعدها بدقيقة بينما أنا متبرم للغاية،أقف في منتهي الألاطة ،أتوق شوقا لانجاز أوراقي بسرعة..أريد أن أشرب بعض النيسكافيه قبل التوجه لطائرة ساركيوز..أريد بعض الراحة..أنا مهم جدا لو تعلمون.. فحص الشرطي ذو الملامح نصف الشرسة أوراقي وقرر أن يصطحبني أنا وناجي إلي ال "مكان ما" بينما أوراقنا محفوظة في ملف أحمر مطابق لملف السوري!

دخلنا غرفة مقبضة،بها مصريان وأردني وسودانيون و "السوري" طبعا.. وشابة دون العشرين تبدو لبنانية..مرحي بغرفة الوحدة العربية إذا..بعدها بقليل جاءت سيدة محجبة كانت معنا علي الطائرة،ثم رجل باكستاني وزوجته ثم احد افراد طاقم الطائرة،ثم جيء بآخرين وآخرين إلي أن ضمت الغرفة ممثلين من كافة بلدان العالم الاسلامي تقريبا..(قل اللهم مالك الملك تؤتي الملك من تشاء وتنزع الملك ممن تشاء)

لم يتركني الضباط كثيرا لهذه الملاحظة البدائية،فبعد قليل توافد عدد من اللاتينيين وجاء شاب مكسيكي وآخر تركي وآخر كندي،ثم جاء يهودي بولندي وزوجته،ثم حاخام اسرائيلي ثم شابان اسرائيليان..إلي أن تغيرت تركيبة الغرفة تماما،علي المستويين :العرقي والديني.

بعد أربع ساعات كاملة جرت فيها الكثير من المحاضر والتحقيقات والترحيلات،قرروا الافراج عن ناجي،بينما أعاني من صداع قاتل وألم في عيني اليسري كاد أن يحرمني الرؤية لولا قليل من رباطة الجأش.

قرروا الافراج عني أنا الآخر،دخلت أقرب حمام،بحثت عن حقيبتي..لقد ضاعت فعلا!

اضطررت للتجوال في كل ركن بحثا عن الحقيبة ولا فائدة..إلي أن توجهت لأكثر من مكتب كل منها أحالني للآخر إلي أن تم استدعاء شنطتي من مكان ما استنادا الي الباركود الملصق علي التذكرة.

واجهتني مشكلة في تذكرت الطائرة المتجهة لساركيوز،ثم مشكلة في المطار ذاته حين تأخر سائق التاكسي علي ما يقرب من ثلث ساعة كاملة بينما الوقت في منتصف الليل والثلج يهطل.

ضربت أخماسا في أسداس،فاليوم من أوله أسوأ ما يكون..مشكلة في تذكرتي في القاهرة ثم مشكلة مماثلة في نيويورك واحتجاز وضياع شنطة ثم استردادها وتأخر سائق التاكسي...كنت مستهلكا لاقصي درجة ممكنة..ذهبت للفندق لتكتمل المنظومة :لايوجد حجز باسمك!

حاولت مرارا وتكرارا وراجعنا الكثير من الاوراق الي أن تأكدوا..صعدت الي غرفتي ..حاولت فتح التلفاز..لم أفلح..كان هناك شيء ما بالريموت يحول بيني وبين ذلك..ألقيته جانبا ورميت نفسي علي السرير وقلت للريموت:يعني هي جت عليك إنت.

Obama- is it just the funny name?

I recently had a discussion with a colleague who said comedians were complaining that Obama- unlike the opportune mockery to be made out of McCain and Palin- is simply "not funny". No ticks, no peculiarities, simply- no jokes.

This, I believe, is a challenge. Seen/Heard any good Obama jokes lately? Send them here. Win a prize.

p.s feel free to be as shallow and immature as you like. Low Blows are more than welcome.

Which came first, Democracy or Pepsi Autocracy?

What is it about American consumable products (and by consumable products I refer to soft drinks as well as presidential campaigns) that makes them so obssessed with Red,White and Blue?

On the left, Obama's "hope circle", on the left, Pepsi's new summer look.

After millions upon millions of dollars spent on market research, probably for both parties, I guess they both opted for the American flag, in circular form. Obama calling his parody of the Pepsi logo "hope circle" says alot about what the actual source of American security, prosperity, and general popularity is really coming from. Cheers.

No Comment

Where does it end?

Mccain 2008.

Palin 2012?

Any thoughts?

What if the world could vote?

What if the world could vote in the American presidential elections?
Give it a shot
and check the results
hilarious!
http://iftheworldcouldvote.com/
-
P.S.
Check Macedonia!

Yaaay Obama is 50% Egyptian

وناسبنا الحكومة وبقينا قرايب

Palin's Afghanistan

To Zeinab who adores the totally cute animated cross-eyed Palin :P

"Bush to give Pep Talk to Anxious Country"

Yes, thats right, send out George Bush to calm the anxious nation.

The administration has reached new heights of desperation. Clearly America is in crisis if the White House has become so delusional that they think Bush is capable of:

"giving the nation a more detailed explanation of what the government is doing to battle the worst financial crisis in more than a half-century."

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Washington Post officially Votes Obama

Are they even allowed to do this?

Who cares about Tina Fey?

It's all about the swing states, right? About the indepedents, the undecideds, the uncertainties, the ambiguities, the unknowns, the little enclaves that can make or break your bid to the presidency.

Obama seems to be cashing in on those, if my months of trying to understand what I never understood about the American democratic process has taught me anything. Recently, four "key" battleground states; Michigan, Colorado, Minnessota and Wisconsin, have apparently swung widely to his favour. If you trust the polls.

Am I the only one who is struck by the futility of following every little itsy bitsy particule of event, that seems to send the polls rolling? This time, its McCain's "ineffective leadership" during the financial crisis. And what, exactly, could McCain have done to display effective leadership? What defines effective leadership when the Dow Jones commits suicide, and Mr. Charles Dow himself is probably having seizures in his grave. Dont get me wrong, I dont approve of McCain's little stunt to pause campaigning, but at least he was entertaining, since there was really nothing he could do.

Anyways, so here we are. I guess the economy is the "single most important" issue for voters in the four battle ground states. Im just having a hard time believing it doesnt have more to do with Tina Fey. Tina Fey, top coverage on CNN: NO BODY thinks thats WEIRD? Well I do. How is that news? Only in America are comedy skits routinized as political discourse. Im not hating on the fact that Tina Fey is shaping the destiny of America and the world, except I dont really like her except on 30 Rock: thats a good show and Ive seen Alec Baldwin in person, so Im biased.

Thats what I'd like to see in the polls, to what extent is American political opinion governed and influenced by SNL, and whether the hell thats a good or bad thing.

Madonna: "you know who is not invited to my party?"

Obama Girl vs McCain Girl Olympics

Negative 2008

Why Arabs support Obama: the revenge history is sending them

During the last three years, people in Arab region propagated a rumor claiming that both of the tow black stars; Thierry Henry the French footballer, and Well Smith the Hollywood actor Converted to Islam.

The wide-spread rumor was warmly welcomed by people who felt honored to feel that their religion is desired by famous and beloved people like Henry and Smith. This was considered a little victory facing the cultural invasion, globalization, and defeat.

Images of black westerns trigger warmth, Hope and closeness within Arabs, so you can understand their conciseness or unconsciousness supporting for Obama.

IN the Arab world in general and Egypt in particular, the most populated country in the region, it is believed that Barak Obama would be the best choice to put an end to the historical conflicts in the region. He should be the man we have been waiting for a long time.

Most of Arabs and Muslims, which is possible to consider Egypt represent their point of view imagine that since Obama has Islamic roots, he might tackle the Middle East issues differently. Based on the grounds of common religion they hope he would be sympathetic and cooperative. Even after declaring he is Christian and his name enjoys Jewish roots, he remains the best choice in the eyes of the Arabs.

In my opinion many explanations may be made for the Arab support of the democratic candidate, but the majority of these explanations are related to the Arab viewing Obama as an equal.

We believe that since historically Obama and his ancestors were done injustice because of slavery and segregation, he would recognize the anger, frustration and feeling of injustice Arab and the Muslims have been feeling for decades.

"The anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away. To condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding." Obama said in a speech last March reflecting his intention towards the region

Ahmed Elkamhawy , a student in the Germany university in Cairo, was setting up a page on the Facebook in favor of Barak Obama. "Obama's features Are familiar. His face looks like ARAB faces. His skin is dark like a lot of Egyptians. This makes him more acceptable than the white John McCain, who represents an extension of the Bush administration we all hate" he told me.

Some people in Egypt believe that McCain's military background could lead him to bomb Iran and Syria, since such A solution or behavior would be near to his thoughts and strategy .It seems easy For a man fought in Vietnam and became accustomed with THE atmosphere of wars to Adopt war at any time. Assisting factors would be belonging to the same party which launched war in Iraq and Afghanistan and being an extension to bush's administration.

McCain was known for fighting against torture, which added so much respect to his image especially in Egypt where torture by the ministry of interior affairs is widespread. Now he is the republican candidate whose party launched the war against Iraq and pictured Arabs and Muslims as terrorists who should either be occupied or killed without mercy.

On the contrary, Obama doesn’t have the same military approach in managing issues. IN addition he promised AN honorable withdrawal from Iraq presenting a solution that can satisfy the majority.

The experiment of Arab and Muslims with (American white presidents) the white man was tense, uncomfortable. ON the other hand, there is a candidate to feel our historical pain with USA, a candidate carrying in his blood the same pain, candidate called Barak Obama, and may be the next president of USA.

In the collective Arab mentality McCain reflects the image of military dictators who came to authority by a coup d'état most of the time. Arabs still suffer from such rulers like Hosni Mubarak the latest heritage of July revolution. Mubarak,80 years, is the Egyptian president who has reigned the most populated Middle Eastern country for over 27 years after al-Sadat assassination in 1981,who was one of July revolution member).

So some Arab believes that Obama is the best since he is someone else is not McCain!

Being different than all previous American presidents and candidates Obama is the image of hope and change, while McCain with his piercing eyes and fair skin is reminiscent of unpleasant memories of the past or signs of the present.

So Obama's age has a strong impact. He is IN HIS forties, reflecting many dreams of today's Arab political youth: the ability to acquire authority monopolized by the elder generations for too long a time.

Demographic studies of the Arab region show that youth shape most of population. This may explain the popularity of the currently jailed EGYPTIAN opposition figure Ayman Nour Who IS 44 years old.

The so-called "impressive" Palin performance

Presidential Debate Round Two: Reinforcing the Status Quo?

Going into this penultimate debate, Obama was already ahead in the polls, partially because Americans(and the rest of us are catching on) are in panic mode about the plummeting economy and for poor McCaine,regardless of how his campaign performs, it's simply not a good day to be a Republican.

While everyone keeps talking about the town-hall setting having been an advantage for McCaine, all it brought home for me was the fact that Obama is generally a better speaker(or at least more polite, didn't point at McCaine and call him "that one!"), more charismatic and easier on the eyes( no, really, did you see that smile?), and McCaine is OLD. I mean you could really see all 73 of those years on stage tonight, and I don't know how Americans saw it, but I'm not a huge fan of giving very old people lotsa lotsa power. Adding on to that,except for the first "not you Tom" in response to who he would appoint as treasurer, McCaine completely bombed the humour factor, whether it was his hair transplants or whatever else it occured to him to joke about. McCaine made really bad jokes and the audience's faces were stone cold.I actually felt really bad for the guy.

Having said that, McCaine was the only one to actually bring something new to the table with his proposal about buying out bad home morgages and allow home owners to renegotiate their morgages in light of the new values of their homes. This is in fact quite a revolutionary idea right now, but McCaine seemed almost unsure about it, and didn't make a point of showcasing it or contrasting it to Obama's lack of new input.

On the other hand, Obama was a disappointment. I mean, he might've won the debate, but it seems like Barack is getting weary or losing oomph or something, because, tonight, with 50 million Americans watching and the election 27 days away, I did not see the inspiring Obama of the primaries or even the masterful orator we saw in Berlin. Too much repitition, too little change. That and all the invade Pakistan talk is forcing me more and more, and earlier than I'd meant to, to stop being distracted by Barack's smile and come back to reality (especially regarding foreign policy) when it comes to Obama.

Either a tie or a slight advantage would mean that Obama won this debate, and according to the earliest polls, he did get a slight advantage (although I would only give him a tie). What this means for the elections, is that this debate only reinforces the existing situation : Obama stays ahead. And, what the heck I'll go for it and make my prediction: unless some unforseen scandal happens, or McCaine (or the economy)has some miraculous comeback, OR Americans are just more nervous about electing a black man than we think, Barack Obama will win this election.

The Polls on the Second Presidential Debate

Now, let me say that as someone who has studied political science and is interested in the methodologies of the field, I've always been quite wary, if not averse , to a focus on quantitative research. When it comes down to it, social sciences are about human behaviour, and that is not something I believe you can easily translate into numbers. But the Americans have got me hooked on this stuff! Seriously, polls here, polls there, polls polls everywhere! There's no escaping them, and I must admit that they make more sense when studying a more or less proper election, then when studying various issues in my part of the world. Now, like all other statistic whores, I await the polls with bated breath. So having said that, these are CNN's initial poll numbers less than half an hour after the end of the debate:

When asked who won the debate 54% of Americans who watched the debate thought Obama did while only 30% of the same segment opted for McCaine. Obama's favourable/unfavourable ratings before the debate among those who watched were 60% favourable and 38 % unfavourable respectively. Post debate, these numbers changed in Obama's favour to 64% favourable and 34% unfavourable. McCaine's favourable/unfavourable numbers however did not change, remaining at 51% favourable and 46% unfavourable.

On the issues, here are the numbers: On Iraq, Obama wins 51% to 47%; on terrorism, McCaine wins 51% to 46%, but -wait for it- on the economy, Obama wins 59% to 37% and on the financial crisis Obama also wins 57% to 36 %-yep, double digits on the economy, is it time to say bye bye McCaine?

Some more interesting numbers :Who was expressing their points more clearly? 60% for Obama to 30% forMcCaine(dude's old, y'know?). Who spent more time attacking the opponent? 63% McCaine to 17% Obama( Dow Jones Industrial average went down 500 points today, the Republicans are like a dying wild animal thrashing out in all directions)Who seems like a stronger leader? 54% for Obama to 43% for McCaine (exactly what the Republicans don't want to hear as they try to paint Obama as the risky inexperienced candidate) and,one of my favourite questions, who is more likeable? 65% for Obama and 28% for McCaine(Who could resist that Obama Smile?).

إيه بقى البضان اللي بايضن قاله ده

قال بايضن لا فض فوه في المناظرة التي جرت بينه وبين ساره بايلن
عندما طردنا نحن وفرنسا حزب الله من لبنان كان لابد من إحلال قوات الناتو لسد الفراغ الذي تركه حزب الله والآن أنظروا ماذا حدث لقد أصبح حزب الله جزء من الحكومة الشرعية للبنان
أحه
ده حصل امتى وفين ده؟
في عالم بيزارو؟
هو حصل ان حد اصلا طرد حزب الله من لبنان؟ امريكا؟ فرنسا؟ اسرائيل؟ سوريا؟ مصر؟ الفلسطينيين؟ حزب الكتائب؟ حركة أمل؟ اللبنانيين نفسهم؟
هما قالوا ان بايضن صهيوني
طب أحه يعني صهيوني وأهبل؟
مش عارف هو بيتكلم عن إيه؟
ومديرة النقاش جوين إيفيل إزاي عدى عليها الحوار ده هي كمان وما قفشتهوش
طب سارة بايلين وجاهلة جاية من ورا الجاموسة - حيوان الموظ - في ألاسكا
فمفهوم إنها ما تقفشهاش على بايضن وتطلع ميتين أمه
إمتى أمريكا طردت حزب الله من لبنان
طب نقول الراجل غلط
هل كان يقصد طردنا سوريا من لبنان؟
طب سوريا طردوها اللبنانيين
وبعدين هو واضح انه كان يقصد حزب الله لانه بعد كده قال ان حزب الله اصبح جزء من حكومة لبنان الشرعية
يعني ما شاء الله عارف اهه
أومال فيه إيه؟
وبرضه أكيد ما يقصدش خروج منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية من لبنان لأن ده برضه أمريكا مكانش ليها فيه ناقة ولا جمل
وده حصل قبل إدارة بوش أصلا بربع دستة رؤساء
طب تعالوا كده نذاكر التاريخ سوا تاني ونفتكر
ها نلاقي إنه بالعكس بقى خالص تاريخيا
امريكا وفرنسا والقوة متعددة الجنسيات هما اللي خرجوا من لبنان لما حزب الله فشخهم في تفجيرات مطار بيروت سنة 1983
ده حتى بايلين اللي الكل كان مستنيلها على غلطة ما قالتش شيء يضاهي عباطة وبضانة وخيال بايضن الجامح والسارح في عالم بيزارو الموازي اللي بتحصل فيه حاجات محدش سمع عنها غيره

You Betcha'!

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The Palin-Biden Debate

Okay, I just finished watching the debate, which meant that I had to stay up till 3 am my time just to see the damn thing start. But now that it's over, I figured I should have something posted up on it before I pass out.

Now, before this thing started, I have to say that I had pretty low expectations all around: Palin was dreadful in most of her interviews, and Biden, well, Biden was being Biden. So It's fair to say that like most of you, I placed the bar pretty low for this debate. So low that I wasn't actually looking for who answers best, but more like who will screw up the most. And I was also kinda dreading Ifill being partisan, because I didn't want anyone making excuses for Sarah if she does fumble it. Now, that being said, here are my reactions:

• "Can I call you joe?". Yep, she sure came with her charm on.
• They both start strong, him more slow and authoritative, and her more chipper and energetic. While I liked her answers, the speed in which she gave them were signs of either someone very nervous or someone who is regurgitating memorized talking points.
• She supports the bailout, he supports the bailout, both of them are for the greatest scam in the histroy of the American public. Boooo..
• Okay, here we go, He starts saying Bush, she starts saying Maverick. This is gonna be a long night.
• The corruption and greed on wall street got said way too many times.
• "I am not gonna answer the question way you or the moderator want me to answer"? For real?
• She knows policy positions, she is calling Biden on Obam's positions, and the things Biden said about Obama. Biden deflects it all and attacks McCain. Palin is not attacking Obama that much. Biden doing the VP's job, she ain't.
• Is it just me, or does it seem like Biden is enjoying himself too much every time she attacks him?
  
• Good points on using her record in Alaska. I wouldn't have expected Alaskan experience to be used as an example in Darfur, but hey, she sold it, and gave proof that she does know there is a world outside of America.
• She seemed to try to convey that she is bringing something to the ticket as well. She is selling herself to the public while trying to debate Biden at the same time. The double-sided efforts started wearing her down after a bit.
• Okay, I have to say this. She is hot. A total MILF. I like looking at her speak. I even like hearing her talk. She has really good body language and sound inflection. Stylistically she is good. But to be honest I found myself not listening to some of her answers. I don't know if it's because she rambles on very quickly and is all over the place, or it's because she is distractingly eye-pleasing.
  
• Oh, wow, she really was sucking Israel's dick with that answer, and Biden was like"Hoe, no you didn't" and immediately started sucking on Israel's Balls as well. It was beautiful how they competed for the "who loves Israel the most "prize, which was completely unnecessary for either one of them to do, because Palin just wrote an essay in love of Israel and Biden is AIPAC #1 guy. But I am sure it made Florida's Jews happy, and they are an important group to keep happy. Ask Sarah Silverman, she 'll tell you.
• Is she getting angry? Her answers seem to be testier by the moment. Why is she getting angry?
  
• Palin is not winning this, but is not losing this either. She is holding her own, while Biden is clearly in his element.
• You and NATO Kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon, Biden? For real? Anybody listening to this?
• Did she actually manage to turn Joe's attempt on reaching out to gay voters into having it on record that they both agree on their opposition for gay marriage? Did that just happen?
• Oh boy, the word Maverick again. How many times she said it so far? 25? I should've started a drinking game.
• Yay for Local politics pandering: Palin talks about coming from a small town and being one of the middle-class people, and Biden of course starts talking about his roots as well. One day I would like to see a candidate being like "You know, being raised in the upper east side of manhattan, I was surrounded by a lot of normal people who cleaned my house, and they thought me all about regular folk". Maybe in 2040? The Trump-Hilton Ticket anyone?
• "Say it ain't so, Joe". Folksy and cute. Does this translate to folksy voters? Cause the gradschool graduate democrat-voting americans I was watching this with looked like they were getting an aneurysm whenever she did something like that. Or winked. They would twitch when she winks.
• Holy shit. On the one issue she was supposed to own- having and raising a family- she was upstaged by Biden , who talked about how wife's death and how hard it was to raise his kids as a single father, and then he chocked back a tear. Holy crap. Sarah, you better start crying or talking about your special-needs child or something. He just got the sympathy vote.
• Did she just attack the media? She must be really confident that she did well in this debate if she actually goes out and says that she is gratrful to talk to the people without the media filter. Yeah, that Katie Couric sure is a manipulator, and like, a filterer. Yeah, a filterer. It's a word. Look it up!
  
• Hmm, pretty standard closing statements. We will fight for you. blah blah. snooz.

Okay, now to the verdict, substance wise Biden won, but Palin held her own- i.e. didn't commit any major blunders, was actually using big words correctly and even had a couple of good answers there. Style wise Palin won: she seemed more relate able, more common american woman and definitely a Washington outsider. She officially does better in debates or behind podiums than in interviews. Biden looked commanding, but there is something about him that never says "Leader". She has buckets more Charisma than he does, but since she is not the main name on the ticket, I am not sure that counts. On the bright side she just stopped hurting the ticket. Now if she can only give a couple of good press interviews, she just might be able to turn this whole thing around. But so far Obama/Biden are the stronger ticket. They are performing better. It's still anyone's race though.

You just never know.

The VP Debate: Republicans Sigh in Relief and Democrats get Boost

One thing I will say about the VP debate, is that it was definitely more interesting and football-game like than the first presidential debate last Friday. Partly, this is because with Sarah Palin becoming a national punchline last week and with the McCaine campaign's erratic behaviour in the same time period, America was really waiting for this debate to prove something. No, wait, why am I being nice? America was waiting for Palin to prove something. Unlike the Obama/McCaine debate, this was not seen as a game that was being played on equal terms, where Sarah Palin was clearly viewed as disadvantaged in terms of her basic question-answering skills as displayed in the Couric and Gibson interviews.

While all sides of the political spectrum focused on Sarah Palin's awaited performance (no one was really talking about Biden last week at all were they?Let's admit one thing, Palin is definitely more interesting than Biden), depending on where you stood you either looked forward to Palin bombing the debate with a series of badly composed sentences and blank stares, or hoped that Palin would restore her image as the down-to-earth vitality serum of the Republican ticket.

If you were one of those Palinofiles, or just a Republican hoping to dear God that Sarah Palin would stop embarassing you, this was a pretty good night. Clearly the Republicans did a good job of prepping Palin for this night, and she had a whole bunch of names (one of which she got wrong repeatedly although Biden was nice enough not to call her out on it) and figures in her head and ,I think , did a good job of regaining her status as an asset to the Republican ticket when it came to their own base.

Basically Palin exceeded all expectations(and it must be said, they were quite low), and seemed to connect well with voters on energy issues and social/cultural issues. If you were a Republican that was becoming less and less confident about your choice last week, today you're probably going to vote for McCaine and never look back. Palin came off as the down to earth Washington outsider (although I found her extremely insincere and rehearesed) and a positively sexy soccer mom (OMG did you see that glittery U.S. flag entwined with an "S" brooch?).

That having been said, Biden won this debate. He got more comfortable and clearly stronger as the debate progressed while Palin started off stronger than she ended. He was more articulate, had vastly more substance on all issues specifically (and in my opinion, particularly drastically) the economy and foreign policy, and did well keeping up with Palin's I-know-what-it's-like-to-rough-it-I'm-just-like-you talk. While Palin did well for Palin, and not bad at all by most standards, she didn't do enough to sway undecided voters, and this election hinges on that small percentage of undecided voters. To the unsure voter, I don't think Palin proved that she was as qualified as Biden (in my opinion despite her performance tonight she still isn't qualified period) to be number two in the United States government.

The earliest polls say that voters agree with me: while both Palin and Biden did much better than expected, voters who watched the debate with a considerable although not massive margin, believe Biden triumphed. 51% siad Biden did better, while only 36% thought Palin did better. At the end of the day, matter of fact seems to have won over folksy. My projection is that if you are an undecided voter, the more educated you are the less likely you are to have been swayed by Palin. Overall, I still don't think this debate was conclusive in terms of the presidential race.

The early verdict? Palin did well for herself, but not so much for the McCaine campaign: the effect of the debate was to allow Palin (and McCaine) to survive another day (and perhaps give Palin a shot at the 2012 presidential elections, as frightening a thought as that is) but not enough of a boost to end up ahead in the race. Still, it continues to be a close election and we will only really know come November 4th.